


Maybe Just a Few Nice Things

by HermioneJeanWayne



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Adoption, Ceiling Vent Clint Barton, Clint Barton Is a Good Bro, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Steve Rogers Feels, Superhusbands, That might be my favorite tag ever, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-10-28 23:14:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10841475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HermioneJeanWayne/pseuds/HermioneJeanWayne
Summary: Steve loves Tony. Tony loves Steve. Of course, neither of them knows how the other feels. Clint (and everyone else) is getting real tired of the two of them and their shocking inability to get their heads out of their asses. Who knew all it took was a few little rugrats running around to get those two to finally have a meaningful conversation? Eventually, that is. After all, the course of true love never did run smooth, and meaningful conversations are hard to come by when there are interruptions all the damn time.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks, as always, to DramioneConvert for being my faithful beta. Love you!
> 
> I own none of these characters, I just enjoy playing in Marvel's sandbox.

He was Tony Stark. He was Iron Man. He was ... totally out of his element.

Ha. Element. So he would be totally out of iron. Because, you know. Iron was his element. …God, he was a hopeless nerd. 

He snuck a look at Steve. Steve was in his element. If being good with kids was on the periodic table, Steve would have been one hell of a scientist. 

Ok, his brain officially needed to shut up. 

Shaking his head as if that alone would clear it, Tony turned back to the line of kids in front of him, each excitedly waiting for an autograph or a photo with Iron Man.

When Steve had mentioned that he was participating in an event with an organization that served the children of active military personnel, Tony didn’t have to think twice before he volunteered to come along. He figured these kids had been through so much, he was happy to give them a few minutes of joy if he could do it. (The pleased way Steve’s eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled at Tony once they arrived at the event didn’t hurt either, if he was being honest.)

It had to be said, though, that Tony was not exactly a natural with children. Certain kids he did well with. He’d found a kindred spirit in Harley Keener, and that Peter Parker kid — while a few years older than most of the children currently milling around — was at least interesting.

But these kids weren’t like Harley or Peter. They were running around, screaming at the top of their lungs for no apparent reason, trying to climb on Cap and _touching Tony’s suit_. He didn’t let _anyone_ touch the suits, and here these rugrats were, acting like he was a piece of playground equipment. It was just a little annoying.

Tony’s eyes lit upon a little boy who had just pulled a Captain America magnet out of the goody bags. He stared at his treasure for a moment (Tony knew _that_ feeling well), then looked up and began to dart over, eyes locked on the Iron Man suit like a homing missile. At first, Tony wasn’t sure what was happening.

Five minutes later, after every kid in the immediate area had stuck their Captain America magnets to Tony’s suit, he still wasn’t sure.

“Did they just … do I look like a refrigerator?!”

In his indignation, he heard a snort of muffled laughter behind him. He turned around slowly to see Steve, in full Captain America regalia, leaning on his shield with his hand over his mouth, trying in vain to control his amusement. He finally calmed down enough to say, “I don’t know about a refrigerator, but you make a heck of a Captain America ad.” Tony was about to open his mouth to come back with some smartass remark, but then Steve smiled _that_ smile, the open, broad one that could power the sun and felt like it was meant just for Tony. He was glad he had his helmet on and mask down, because his jaw had just dropped without his consent.

“Well, I guess whatever makes the kids happy,” Tony mumbled, licking his suddenly-dry lips.

After another hour of pictures, autographs and even more magnets stuck to the suit, Tony and Steve stood together, watching as parents and relatives herded kids out of the room.

“So what do you think, Cap? Ready for a litter of little blond-haired, blue-eyed munchkins running around and terrorizing the team?” Tony asked jokingly as he pulled off his helmet.

After Steve yanked off his cowl, he looked at Tony with a small, fond smile.

“I’ve always wanted kids, but before the war, I knew it wasn’t a possibility. Except maybe with Peggy. _Maybe_. Then came the ice,” he said, staring into the distance as he always did when he remembered that insurmountable cold. Then he visibly refocused on Tony’s face.

“But now, it could happen. However, I do have to say that since they’d most likely be adopted, the hair, eye and skin colors certainly don’t matter. I think it’d be pretty great to have a multicultural family — a melting pot, if you will. How can you get more all-American than that?” he said with a grin.

Tony looked at him questioningly.

“Have you always wanted to adopt? I mean, let’s be honest, Cap. Any woman you married — strike that, any woman period — would be falling all over herself to carry on your bloodline. And, seriously, that can’t be a surprise to you, so why are you looking at me like that?”

Steve did have a strange look on his face. Brow furrowed, he searched Tony’s expression as if trying to unlock a puzzle.

Carefully, almost gently, Steve said, “Well, I appreciate you saying that, but since I’d prefer to marry a man, adoption is probably the way to go.”

Tony’s mind went blank. It must have shown on his face, because Steve’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly.

“You really didn’t know? I…I thought it was fairly apparent,” said Steve, biting his lip. “Everyone else seemed to figure it out pretty quickly.”

_Everyone else?_ Tony mouthed to himself.

Rubbing the back of his head, Steve broke the awkward silence. “I’m gonna go. Fury wanted me to drop by headquarters to see some new equipment they have for me, then I’ll be back at the tower. See you later?”

“Uh, yes. Obviously. Of course. Later,” Tony said distractedly. “Bye.”

Walking outside, Tony pushed his helmet back on and took off for Avengers Tower.

_Everyone else? Seriously?_ he mouthed again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is already complete, so I'll post a new chapter every day or two. Please let me know your thoughts and if you like it, drop a kudos! Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clint just might be my favorite.

Back in his workshop, Tony tinkered with some spare parts he had lying around. He’d been thinking of upgrading Barton’s arrows, maybe adding some sort of boomerang capability, but he couldn’t seem to get his mind off Cap’s revelation.

Finally tossing his screwdriver to the floor, he sat back and sighed.

“Hey, J? You there?”

Of course, JARVIS answered promptly. “Yes, sir. How may I help you?”

"I had a weird conversation with Steve earlier. Turns out he bats for the other team. But there was Peggy, so maybe he's a switch hitter?" Tony mused. 

"Forgive me for saying, sir, but your metaphor is quickly veering into 'tortured' territory," JARVIS said dryly.

"Thanks, J. So droll. Anyway, he said everyone else had already figured it out, but that seems unlikely. What's your take?"

There was a pregnant pause. 

"...J?"

"Analyzing the conversations and interactions I have been privy to between Captain Rogers and the rest of the team, I would say there is a 97.4 percent chance all of them already know of his sexual orientation, sir."

"Seriously, that high? How could I possibly have missed this?"

"If I may be so bold as to say, sir, you have quite the blind spot where Captain Rogers is concerned," JARVIS said in a voice that made it clear Tony was a bit of an idiot. "Also, you do not have the objective vantage point that the rest of the team has when it comes to observing your interactions with the captain."

"OK, I'm intrigued. Explain."

"When Captain Rogers is speaking with or otherwise interacting with you, he blushes 23.7 percent more, smiles 35.8 percent more and focuses on your mouth 57.9 percent more than with anyone else on the team," JARVIS said. "Your personal statistics are similar as they pertain to Captain Rogers. Ergo, you find each other mutually attractive, leading one to conclude that both you and Captain Rogers exhibit at least some homosexual tendencies.”

Tony just sat, a bit shellshocked. Then he let out a manful shriek — which he would deny to his dying day, dammit — when Clint’s voice came blaring out of the closest ceiling air vent.

“What JARVIS is trying to say in his delicate, proper, British way is that everyone knows you and Cap are heart-eyes-emoji in love with each other, and you should get your heads out of your asses because watching you tiptoe around your feelings has gone from funny ha-ha to funny painful to just sad. And really irritating. Like, Joffrey from ‘Game of Thrones’ irritating,” the disembodied voice said. “You guys should totally fix that. I know for a fact that Bruce is planning to let the Hulk bash some superhero heads together soon, and Nat’s been sharpening her knives in a more pointed way than usual lately. Ha, knives, pointed. PUN!”

For a second, Tony considered just turning the power on his repulsors down to 10 percent and firing into the ceiling. It wouldn’t _kill_ Barton. It’d just hurt him a little. Maybe a bruise or a scratch. Or a concussion. Nothing he couldn’t recover from. He really needed to stop making stupid puns. And he really, _really_ needed to stop lurking in the air vents. For Tony’s sanity, if for no other reason. _This is why we can’t have nice things_ , Tony thought.

Fortunately for all involved, JARVIS broke into Tony’s musings. “Sir, Captain Rogers is currently requesting entrance to the workshop.”

“What, _now_?”

“Yes, sir, now. That would be the typical meaning of ‘currently.’”

“Shut up, J, I can still rework your coding so your primary responsibility is screening my voicemails and arguing with that idiot Siri.”

JARVIS chose to ignore that. Damn AI. Tony didn’t recall his namesake being quite so sassy. He blew out a breath. “OK, J. Let him in.”

As Tony turned to greet Steve, he caught sight of himself in the reflection of one of his cars. Electric-shocked hair, a couple oil streaks on his cheeks and a dirty white tank top. Great. Exactly how he wanted to look for this … whatever it was.

Of course, Steve looked friggin’ perfect, Tony noted with a mental groan. Lumbersexual plaid shirt, blue jeans and floppy hair. Not good — the blood flow needed to stay in his brain, not in … other areas. _Snap out of it, Tony_ , he told himself.

“Hey, Cap. What’s up? How did your conversation with Director The Fast and The Fury go?”

Steve came to a stop in front of Tony. He wasn’t quite close enough to touch, but he was definitely a little closer than Tony was strictly comfortable with.

“I assume that’s some pop culture reference that neither you nor Clint have gotten around to including in my education,” Steve said, smiling. “You don’t know ‘The Fast and the Furious’?! JARVIS! Add all eight movies to our film queue! I know one of them is still in theaters, but Vin owes me for letting them borrow a couple of my cars,” Tony instructed.

“Consider it done, sir,” JARVIS replied.

Steve stuck one hand in the pocket of his jeans, and the other fiddled — nervously? — with the hem of his shirt. “Ah, the meeting with Fury went OK. They had some tech they wanted me to test out for them. I did, and it was some neat stuff, but you’re already way ahead of the game on most of what they showed me. The SHIELD engineers had a flexible polymer material they said could withstand forces of up to 10 tons that they were thinking about weaving into the suit. They didn’t seem too happy to hear that you’d created something like it a few months ago, and that yours is also flame-resistant, waterproof and breathable. They definitely weren’t too pleased to hear that it’s already in my suit,” he said, eyes twinkling. “You might get a call from Coulson about that pretty soon. He muttered something about wanting it added to the Hawkeye suit ASAP.”

One side of Tony’s mouth quirked up in a grin.

“Aw, Cap. Thanks for being my one-man cheering section. If there’s one thing I love, it’s showing up those guys at SHIELD.”

“Sure, Tony. But they’re used to it. I brag on you all the time— I mean— I—“

Tony’s head snapped up, and he saw Steve’s deer-in-headlights expression. But just as Tony was about to open his mouth to say something — _anything_ —

“Sir, Captain Rogers, Director Fury just called. An alien presence has been detected in Manhattan. The team has been summoned, and Ms. Romanov, Dr. Banner and Mr. Barton are on their way,” JARVIS said, almost regretfully. “Mr. Odinson is already there.”

“Thanks, JARVIS. Let them know we’re on our way too,” Tony said. “Steve, I’m jumping into the suit. Meet me on the roof, I’m your ride.”

“You got it, Tony,” Steve shouted behind him as he took the stairs 10 at a time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all are enjoying it so far! Again, I'd love to know what you think, and kudos are always appreciated if you're a fan!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> COULSON! (He's definitely my favorite.) Thor is too. You'll see.

“Well, that was quite a way to spend an afternoon,” Bruce said as he scrounged around his locker for clothes. “The Other Guy really enjoyed making a daisy chain of destruction with all those trees, though.”

“My friends! Your heroism knows no bounds!” Thor boomed enthusiastically. Bruce winced and subtly began to inch away. Thor didn’t come with volume control. “Verily, I have never fought a battle like that one before — tales shall be told of it in Asgard! The very earth came alive! I shall never look at a pinecone in the same manner again!”

Clint shook his head. “Villains these days just don’t have any imagination. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m willing to bet that Father Nature guy was watching the Lord of the Rings movies back-to-back-to-back yet again and thought to himself, ‘Hey, those Ents would make great tools of world domination. Slow-moving trees! Terrifying! New York will cower in fear!’ Yeah, not so much.”

Steve nodded in agreement. It had been one of the most surreal battles of his experience. He’d had to subdue trees bent on aiding Father Nature (yes, that was actually what the guy was calling himself) while also avoiding the New Yorkers casually texting or listening to music as they walked past the trees. They were _really_ slow-moving. But once the Hulk showed up and teamed with Thor and Mjolnir to reduce all the trees to toothpicks, the battle was pretty much won in a matter of minutes.

Natasha broke into Steve’s thoughts.

“Cap, we’re headed up to meet up with Fury for the debrief. You coming?”

“Thanks, Nat. I’ll be up in a minute. I just need to finish getting changed.”

Everyone filed out, and Steve grabbed his shoes and jacket out of his locker. As he was straightening the collar of his jacket, Tony came out of the showers in a T-shirt and sweatpants, rubbing at his wet hair with a towel. Steve’s heart rate kicked up involuntarily.

“Hey, Steve. Did the rest of the team head upstairs already?”

“Yeah. I actually thought you were with them,” Steve said, swallowing. “We probably should go too. You know how Fury hates us to be late for the debriefings.”

“Eh, screw ‘em. We just saved New York from foliage with bad intentions. We deserve a few minutes,” Tony said. “I, ah. I was hoping you might finish your sentence from earlier. When you were talking about how you tell everyone you know what a genius I am.”

That got a laugh out of Steve. “Yes, Tony. I tell everyone how brilliant you are. Because God knows your ego could use a boost.”

When Steve turned to look at Tony, though, the smirk dropped right off his face. For once, Tony’s expression was unguarded, and Steve could see equal parts disbelief and surprised hope.

“Do you actually do that?” Tony asked in a quiet voice. “Tell people I’m brilliant?”

Steve’s heart clenched. _If I could, I’d spend as much time as possible making sure he knows without a doubt that he’s brilliant in every way_ , he thought. _And I wish I could get my hands on everyone who’s made him feel like he’s not._

When he replied, his voice was equally subdued, but honest and assured. “Of course I do, Tony. How could I not?”

They gazed at each other for a moment, and this time Steve was the one who opened his mouth to say something — _anything_ —

A throat cleared behind them, and Steve whirled around as Tony bit back a curse. Agent Coulson was standing there, one slightly raised eyebrow the only quirk in his otherwise placid demeanor.

“Gentlemen. Director Fury would appreciate your presence in his office. He and the rest of the team are waiting on you two before they begin the debrief.”

Tony closed his eyes in exasperation, then set off toward the elevator. Steve watched him go for a second.

“Cap. If you would,” Coulson said, and Steve almost thought he heard a note of apology. Sighing, Steve nodded and followed in Tony’s wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say that I so appreciate the kudos I've gotten and the bookmarks. It's great to know that there are some of you that are invested enough to want to know exactly when I update. This fic has been a lot of fun for me, and I'm so glad AO3 offers me the chance to share it with you all. As always, any comments you might have would be greatly appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because you deserve it, have some tooth-rotting fluff.

A couple days later, Steve found himself striding toward Tony’s workshop, a box of Hawaiian pizza from their favorite pizzeria in his hands.

Ever since Coulson’s interruption in the SHIELD locker room, things had been a bit off between him and Tony. The comfortable camaraderie they shared was missing, replaced with a sense of mounting tension. Steve felt like he’d been walking a knife’s edge, and he was tired of it. Time to figure out whatever this strange thing was between them and deal with the consequences, whatever they might be. He was many things, but he wasn’t a coward. He also wasn’t stupid. The past few days had shown him that there was hope for something beyond friendship between him and Tony. The two of them just had to get some uninterrupted time together to actually have a meaningful conversation.

At the workshop door, he squared his shoulders, held his head high and, in his firm Captain America voice, said, “JARVIS. It’s dinnertime. I have Tony’s favorite pizza. It’s time for us to figure this out. Please let me in.”

“Certainly, Captain Rogers,” JARVIS intoned with a hint of amusement.

As the doors slid open, Steve’s ears were bombarded with the discordant notes of heavy metal music, apparently cranked as high as it could go. As he paused in the doorway, his eyes found Tony, who was turned away from him, fiddling with some spare parts. Steve smiled, said a quick prayer for luck and started walking toward Tony. He made it about five feet into the room before he couldn’t stand it anymore.

“JARVIS, cut the music, please!” he yelled.

In the sudden silence, Tony’s head popped up. “JARVIS, what the hell? You know I told you to only interrupt Black Sabbath for the Avengers alarm or for Steve, and—“

Tony’s face when he finally noticed Steve was priceless. Steve wished he had a camera — he didn’t know if he’d ever seen a blush come on so quickly or so forcefully. He made sure to note every detail of Tony’s expression so he could recreate it in his sketchbook as soon as possible.

It still seemed that Tony had lost the gift of speech, so Steve stepped forward and placed the pizza on a nearby worktable.

“I come bearing gifts,” Steve said as he flipped open the box and went to grab bottled waters from the small workshop refrigerator. The sight of food brought Tony back to life.

“Hawaiian from Giuseppe’s! Steve, you’re the real genius here,” Tony said.

For a few minutes, the two sat in companionable silence, enjoying their meal. Finally, Steve took a long swig from his drink and leaned back in his chair.

“Look, Tony. You know that I never need an excuse to hang out in the workshop, but I do have an ulterior motive this time,” he said, eyes on Tony’s. “There’s a certain conversation we’ve been trying to have for days now, and I’m ready to have it if you are.”

With something like relief in his eyes, Tony opened his mouth—

“Captain Rogers, I am so sorry to interrupt, but Deputy Director Hill is on the phone for you—“ That was as far as JARVIS got before Tony snapped and began screaming obscenities in frustration. That didn’t last long, though, as Steve promptly clapped a hand over his mouth.

“JARVIS, I have just one question. Is there an imminent attack that demands the Avengers’ presence?”

“No, Captain Rogers. Deputy Director Hill simply wanted to—“

“Yeah, right now I don’t care. I’m very sorry to be rude to her and to you, JARVIS, but Tony and I have been trying to have this conversation for days now, and I think we’re both going to lose our minds if we’re not able to finish it tonight. And as you can see, Tony’s walking a fine line here with his sanity. _Ew_ , Tony. That’s childish,” Steve said as Tony licked his palm in retaliation. “Please let Hill know I’ll be back in touch with her soon. And JARVIS? Lock it down. No interruptions unless the world is coming to an end. And I mean that in a very literal sense.”

“Just as you say, Captain Rogers,” JARVIS said.

Steve took his hand off Tony’s mouth, wiping it on his pants and sticking his tongue out at the other man.

“Now who’s being childish?” Tony said as he grinned. “OK. Now that you’ve taken care of all that — my hero, by the way — let’s get this party started. What did you want to say?”

With that, Steve’s nerves came flooding back, and his hands instinctively went for the hem of his shirt again. Tony noticed and smiled internally. _And of course he’s wearing that hideous yet somehow insanely hot plaid shirt again_ , Tony thought. _It’s almost like a security blanket at this point_.

Steve cleared his throat. “It’s nothing big. I just … when we were talking a few days ago, at the charity event, it seemed like what I said really surprised you, and that surprised me in turn. I wanted to apologize for being so awkward about it. Like I said, I really just thought you knew that I’m interested in guys. Well, sort of.”

“Well, Peggy’s really the only person I’ve ever heard you talk about in that way,” Tony said. “What’s up with that, anyway? Are you actually bi? Or lumbersexual, perhaps? And what do you mean, _sort of_?”

“…Lumber— what? Is that what it sounds like? No, wait. Don’t answer that,” Steve said, shaking his head. “Um. Peggy. She’s actually the only woman I’ve ever been attracted to. And I was definitely attracted to her. I may have even been a little in love with her. But there really hasn’t been anyone else — male or female — since then. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want there to be. Which brings me to that ‘sort of.’”

At that, Tony’s eyes narrowed, especially when he noticed Steve’s cheeks reddening.

“Y’see, Tony, I say I’m interested in guys. But that’s not exactly true. I’m interested in a guy. In one guy in particular. But I’ve been finding it difficult to let him know how I feel, and then the other day I found out he had no idea I was even gay, so you can see how I might have felt like an idiot.”

At that, Tony closed his eyes and let out a long breath. His relief was so palpable, Steve had to smile.

He gently reached out, wrapping his long fingers around the back of Tony’s neck. “Hey. Hey, Tony. Surely you knew. Especially after our near-misses the past couple of days.”

Tony opened his eyes, and the intensity in them made something in Steve’s chest crack open.

“I had some hope, Cap. But hoping isn’t the same as knowing,” Tony said.

In his voice, Steve heard an echo of the Tony from the other day — the one that couldn’t quite believe that Steve thought him brilliant and was willing to share that opinion.

“Well, now you know. And, if you’re OK with it, I’d be more than happy to spend my time making sure you remember it,” Steve said.

Tony smiled, then his eyes fastened onto Steve’s mouth. Steve noticed and bit his lip.

“So, I think I’m going to kiss you now,” Steve said, already leaning in. However, he found his progress impeded by a palm to his chest and looked at Tony questioningly.

“Well, I don’t know, Cap. Earlier you weren’t too keen on my tongue touching you, so…”

Steve let out a loud bark of a laugh. “OK, Tony. Two things. First of all, when it comes to situations like this, my name is Steve. This is about Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, not Captain America and Iron Man.”

Tony’s eyes softened, going hazy and warm. “OK. OK, Steve. What’s the second thing?”

“Secondly, just because I didn’t want your tongue on my palm _then_ doesn’t mean I don’t want it touching me _now_. Context is key, Tony. Context is always key.”

With that, Steve lowered his lips to Tony’s, effectively shutting off the brunet’s sputtering attempt at a smartass comeback.

It was a few minutes before the two broke apart, panting slightly.

“Context is key. Got it,” Tony croaked, running his fingers through his mussed hair. Steve was having an equally hard time keeping his composure, if his blown pupils and beard burn were any indication. That beard burn was doing funny things to Tony’s insides, and he was about to do his level best to entice Steve into Round Two, preferably with fewer clothes, when Steve let out a high-pitched yelp.

Tony snapped his head around, only to be greeted with the infuriating sight of Clint’s head peeking out of the ceiling vent. For two seconds, Tony considered playing whack-a-mole with his tools and Clint’s noggin. It wouldn’t _kill_ him. Maybe just knock him out a little.

“Hey guys! Man, it is so good to see that you guys actually did get your heads out of your asses. Even Thor was starting to get annoyed with the whole thing, and he’s basically just an enormous golden retriever. And the great thing is you don’t even have to worry about telling the team — I already sent them a Snapchat of you guys making out,” Clint said proudly. Then he spotted the pizza and dropped out of the vent. “Ooooh! Hawaiian!”

Tony just shook his head in despair. _This is why we can't have nice things_ , he thought. Then he looked at Steve, who was laughing at Clint's attempt to eat while running away from Dum-E. _Well, maybe just one nice thing_.

Steve shook his head fondly, then looked over, meeting Tony’s eyes. A frisson of heat curled through the glance they shared, just for a second. Then Steve’s lips quirked up, and he said, “So, hey. The other day. You were actually pretty good with the kids. Have you, uh. Have you ever thought about having any yourself?”

Tony was going to say, “No, of course not. I’d screw a kid up for life,” he really was. But his mouth acted independently of his brain (that happened far too often, to be honest) and what he actually said was, “I think a small part of me has always wanted a kid. I’d like to be a better dad than what I had. But I never found anyone I really wanted to have kids with before.”

_Shit. That was probably a bit too much. He’d probably already screwed this up, and it hadn’t even started yet._

But Steve wasn’t backing away, wasn’t giving any excuses why he had to leave so suddenly. Instead, he had a megawatt grin on his face, and his huge hand was reaching out for the back of Tony’s neck again. “Before, huh?” was all he said before his lips were on Tony’s again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next, we have a little epilogue. I hope you'll enjoy it!


	5. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you all go! The tooth-rotting fluff is at epic levels. I hope you all have really good dentists.

**Seven years later**

“Come on, come on, come on,” Tony said as the car inched through traffic. They were almost there, but they couldn’t afford to be late. Not today. It wouldn’t look good, and everything needed to look good today. 

“It’s fine, Tony. It’s New York traffic. They’re well aware,” Steve said from the driver’s seat. “Plus, if you have to, you can literally get out and walk there in a matter of minutes. I’ll bring the kids when I’m able to park.”

Tony turned his head to check out the backseat. Matching 4-year-old grins beamed back at him, along with a coo from the infant seat.

“Yeah, Daddy. We’ll be just fine,” Sarah said. “They’ll see how nice you and me and Papa and Maria all are, and James will be ours for real!"

Maria nodded her head forcefully, matching her sister’s enthusiasm. 

In spite of himself, Tony smiled. It had been five years since he and Steve had decided to look into adoption. It had been just a few months into the process when they were matched with Jessica, a 19-year-old carrying twins for whom she wasn't prepared to care. Steve and Tony had come into her life when she was four months along, and she invited them to be part of the entire journey, from ultrasounds to choosing names to waiting in the hospital when the girls were born. She had been gracious and courageous in the face of a difficult choice, and they would always be grateful to her. 

Tony's thoughts snapped back to the present when he heard Steve say, "Oh, here we go" as he turned into the courthouse parking deck. He pulled into the closest space. Tony grabbed Sarah and the diaper bag while Steve took Maria and James in his car seat, and they all began quickly walking into the building.

It took them just a few minutes to locate Courtroom L. To be honest, it was easy to find, with all the smiling people milling about out front, the balloons and the huge banner that proclaimed “Adoption Day!”

It didn't take long before the doors opened and everyone filed inside. Tony's eyes scanned the room until he saw their adoption attorney, who smiled and made her way over.

"Are you guys ready? It's going to be a great day," Alicia said, smiling and greeting them all. "Your case is third up, but there's a short reception after if you'd like to stay and celebrate with the other families."

"Of course we'll stay," Steve said. "It's such an honor to meet the other families and hear their stories. And the girls love meeting other adopted kids."

At that point, the proceedings were called to order. The first two families passed in a blur, then Tony found himself standing up in front of the judge with his husband, their two daughters and a baby that, legally, was about to become their son.

(James had been _theirs_ for seven months, though — longer, really, since they'd been matched with his birth mother at six months along. He was _their_ son when they decided to name him after their two best friends. He'd been _their_ son from the moment they brought him home from the hospital, _their_ son through the nighttime bottles and daytime diaper changes, always _their_ son.)

He and Steve affirmed that they intended to provide James with a loving home, they answered some simple questions and then the girls were banging the judge's gavel as everyone in the courtroom laughed. Then Tony was standing at the reception, holding a decree of adoption confirming that James Edwin Stark-Rogers was officially a part of his beautiful little family, and woah, woah, where did those tears come from?

And there Steve was, laughing through his own tears, with his big hand gripping the back of Tony's neck and pulling him into a tight embrace. When Steve let him go, there was Aunt Natasha, Aunt Pepper, Uncle Rhodey, Uncle Clint, Uncle Bruce and Uncle Thor, each pulling him into a hug as well. Huh. He hadn't even noticed them in the room. 

"We've been here the whole time, Tony," Pepper said, holding Sarah’s hand. "We wouldn't miss this for anything."

"Yeah, Tony. These little rugrats mean too much," said Clint, who had Maria perched on his shoulders. Beside them, Uncle Agent stood with James in the crook of an arm and a proprietary hand on Clint's shoulder. 

Clint handed Maria off to Steve and came to give Tony another hug. "I bet you guys are glad you got your heads out of your asses all those years ago, aren't you?"

Filled to the brim with happiness, Tony looked around at his family — his big, crazy, melting pot of an American family — and smiled.

"Hell yes, we are. But still not as glad as I'll be when you finally stop crawling around in the damn ceiling ducts, Barton." Clint smiled.

"Never gonna happen, Tony. Never gonna happen— ooooh! Hawaiian!"

With that, Clint bounded off to claim a slice of pizza, and Tony turned back to see Steve smile at him. Even after all these years, he still got  _that_  smile, the open, broad one that could power the sun. But it was even better now because he knew beyond any doubt that it really was meant just for him. 

The sweet moment was broken by a loud snap accompanied by an “Ah, _crap_ ” from behind him. Tony knew that voice. He closed his eyes in a moment of gathering his strength, then turned to see Clint and Thor both looking sheepish. In Thor’s massive hand, he held the judge’s gavel — or what was left of it.

“I mistakenly assumed such an instrument of honor and justice would be a creation of strength, much like Mjolnir,” Thor boomed in apology to the flabbergasted judge. “If you would, I should happily travel to my home in Asgard to have them craft you a gavel befitting your station as one who wields such power and such responsibility. It should be a sight to behold, a symbol of your esteem among Midgardian men and women!”

As Thor continued to extol the virtues of Asgardian craft (and the judge began to slowly inch away), Tony sighed and shook his head. _This is why we can’t have nice things_ , he thought. Then he looked at those he loved — at James sleeping on Steve’s shoulder, at the twins giggling, at their friends who were really family — and he thought, _Well, maybe just a few nice things_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all of you for reading! This was a lot of fun to write. I hope I captured the atmosphere of Adoption Day correctly. I've been to one Adoption Day event, and I read about it online some while writing this chapter. If something is grossly wrong, please do let me know. 
> 
> I'll be doing more stuff in the Stony OTP fandom, so hope y'all check that out. If you're interested, I also write stuff for the Dramione (Draco/Hermione) OTP. As always, I love comments and constructive criticism, and drop me a kudos if you enjoyed it!


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